Improvement in washing-machines



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Patented March 21,1875.

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WASHING-MACHINE. No.175,185. Patented Marph 21,1876.

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M2 M4 f N. PTERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D Q

UNITED STATES Parana" OFFICE.

. HAMILTON E. SMITH,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN WASHING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 175. 185, dated March 2], 1876; application filed September 15, 1875.

T. all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAMILTON E. SMITH, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in \Vashing'Machines, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification,

reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 represents a cross-section of a machine constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

My invention relates to improvements in that. class of washing-machines embodying a rotating drum for receiving the articles to be Washed, which is arranged within a jacket, susceptible of holding water or soap suds, and which is perforated in order to permit of the passage of water to and from it.

My invention consists in a reversing-gear for rew'ersing the motion of the rotating drum automatically, and at certain intervals, constructed of a traveler, which is mounted on a screw-shaft containing a fast pulley and fast cog-wheel, in addition to a loose pulley and a loose cog-wheel, the fast cog-wheel gearing into a corresponding wheel mounted on the journal of the rotating drum, and the loose cog-wheel being connected with such drum-wheel by intermediate gearing of such a nature as will cause a reversal of its motion, while the traveler engages a vibrating arm, adapted to actuate a belt-shifter for automatically shifting the belt, by means of which motion is imparted to the pulleys and the rotating drum in such a manner that when the belt is shifted on the fast pulley the drum rotates in one direction, and when, by the action of the traveler, the vibrating arm, and the shifter, the belt is shifted on the loose pulley, the drum rotates in another direction, whereby, if clothes or other articles are placed in the drum to be washed, a very effective cleansing thereof is effected. My invention consists, also, in the arrangement of air-buckets on the circumference of the rotating drum for the purpose of commingling pure air with the Water used for washing, and of carrying oft foul gases, the said buckets being Tshaped in order that they may answer to a motion of the drum in either direction, as hereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawing, the letter A designates the rotating drum of my washing-machine, having a door, B, through which access may be had to its interior part. The drum is journaled within a suds-jacket. G, which, in the present example, has a cylindrical form, and has feet D to rest upon, being also provided with a door, E, and being made water-tight in any suitable manner. The jacket 0 has lugs F on its exterior surface forming the bearings for a shaft, G, which is provided with a screwthread, as shown. The screw-sh aft thus formed contains a traveler, H, which consists of a divided collar provided with an internal screwthread whose pitch is similar to the thread of the shafa G, and which has cheeks projecting from it by which it is prevented fromturning, while it is capable of a longitudinal movement on the shaft; and it is obvious that when a revolving motion is given to the shaft the traveler is caused to move toward one or the other end thereof, according to the direction of its motion, by the action of the screwthread. The traveler H carries pins on a, by which it engages an arm, I, having a pintle, b, projecting from it, the arm being pivoted to a lug, J, on the surface of the jacket 0. When the traveler H traverses the screw-shaft G,

and the pins a a come in contact with the pintle b projecting from the arm J, the arm is displaced and vibrated in one or the other direction according to the direction of the motion of the traveler. This vibrating arm J is arranged to actuate a l lt shiftpr, K, consisting of a slide which is arranged in lugs L L on the jacket 0 by being arranged between pivots c c projecting from the shifter, whereby, when the arm J is vibrated, it strikes against either of the pins 0 o, as the case may be, and thus the position of the shifter is changed.

It may be here remarked that, instead of placing the vibrating arm 3, between pins 0 0, it'may be connected to the belt-shifter K, by a pivot, with a like result. When the vibratin g arm iis arranged as in the present example, a weight, N, is attached to its upper end, which assists in the vibration of the arm and in its action on the belt-shifter, inasmuch as when the arm is brought slightly beyond a perpendicular position its movement is completed by the falling of the weight.

The belt-shifter K has a slot, 0, near the front end, through which passes a belt, P, extending from a suitable driving-shaft to pulleys on the screw-shaft G, consisting of a iast pulley, Q, and a loose pulley, R, with which may be combined a secondary loose pulley, R. The screw-shaft G contains in proximity to its pulleys a fast cog-wheel, S, and a loose cog-wheel, T, the latter of which is firmly connected to the loose pulley R, so as to turn therewith and independent of the screw-shaft. The fast cog-wheel S gears directly with a cog-wheel, U, mounted on the journal of the rotary drum A, with which gears also the loose cog-wheel T, but through intermediate cog-wheels V V, the latter being so arranged that when the motion of the drum-wheel U is derived therefrom,or from the loose pulley, such motion is difl'erent from that derived from the fast pulley. When the belt P runs on the fast pulley Q, and motion is thus given to the latter, the screw-shaft G and the fast cog-wheel S partake of such motion, and revolve in a like direction with the fast pulley, by which means the traveler H is given a forward movement and the drumwheel U and the drum are caused to rotate. \Vhen the traveler, however, has moved a snfiicient distance to change the position of the arm I. and of the shifter K, the belt P is thereby shifted from the fast to the loose pulley R, and the motion of the drunris reversed, the motion of the screw-shaft G being at the same time made difi'erent by the action of the drum-wheel U on the fast cogwheel S, and the traveler H being caused to change the direction of its movement.

It will be readily understood that by this arrangement a rotary motion is imparted to the drum A, which motion is reversed automatically at regular intervals, and if water or suds are put in the jacket G, the same is caused to penetrate the articles placed in the drum for washing to the greatest possible extent, and an expeditious and effective cleansing thereof is effected.

The drum A carries on its circumference buckets W, (see Fig. 1,) which are placed at regular distances apart and are connected together by one or more straps, f, extending entirely around the drum. The object of the buckets W is to take up pure air from the atmosphere when the drum is rotated, and, as the buckets descend into the water or soapsuds placed in the jacket 0, to cause a commingling of such pure air with the water. The buckets, moreover, in their ascent serve to expel and carry off from the water foul gases generated in the jacket. In order to accommodate the buckets W to a drum whose motion is reversible, I duplicate the same, and the best method which I have hitherto devised to effect this object is to make the buckets T- shaped, as shown in Fig. 1, whereby they are adapted to take up air in whatever direction the drum may be rotated.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a washing-machine, embodying a rotating drum A, which is arranged within a suds-jacket, 0,1 claim a reversing-gear for reversing the motion of the rotary drum at regular intervals, constructed of a traveler, H, screw-shaft,G, a fast pulley, Q, and fast cog-wheel, S, in addition to a loose pulley, R, and loose cog-wheel T of gearing V V, and cog-wheel U, mounted on the journal of the rotary drum, of a vibrating arm, J, and beltshifter K, all combined and operating substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the drum A, of the T-shaped buckets W, arranged in the circumference of said drum, and connected together by a strap, f, the whole of said buckets being constructed to slide in the circumference of the dam for the purpose of intro lacing pure air into the water in the drum, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 8th day of September, 1875.

HAMILTON E. SMITH. [L. 8.]

Witnesses:

W. HAUFF, E. F. KASTENHUBER. 

